Jones won the light heavyweight title in March 2011 at the age of 23, becoming the youngest champion in UFC history.[17] He holds many UFC records in the light heavyweight division, including most wins, most successful and consecutive title defenses, longest win streak, and most submission victories. For a number of years, Jones was ranked as the #1 light heavyweight fighter in the world by various media outlets,[18][19] and was also ranked the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world by multiple publications.[20][21][22]

Outside of the ring, Jones has been involved in several controversies. In April 2015, Jones was stripped of his title and was removed from the official rankings following his arrest on felony hit-and-run charges. He was reinstated into the UFC in October 2015 and returned to the ring the next year, but was pulled from all UFC rankings after testing positive for banned substances three days before a scheduled title bout.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Before beginning his MMA career, Jones was a stand-out high school wrestler and state champion at Union-Endicott High School in upstate New York.[23] He also played football as a defensive lineman, but due to his slight frame, his coach nicknamed him "Bones".[24] He won a national JUCO championship at Iowa Central Community College.[23] After transferring to Morrisville State College[25] he decided to drop out of college, where he was studying Criminal Justice, to begin his MMA career.[26]

Jones made his professional MMA debut in April 2008.[23] He amassed an undefeated record of 6–0 over a period of three months, finishing all of his opponents. This brought him to the attention of the UFC, who asked him to take a fight as a late replacement on a two-week notice in July 2008.[23]

In his last bout before signing with the UFC, Jones defeated Moyses Gabin at BCX 5 for the USKBA Light Heavyweight Championship.[23] He won the fight via TKO in the second round.[27]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Jones's UFC debut came against Andre Gusmão at UFC 87 on August 9, 2008. Jones took the fight on two weeks' notice as a late replacement for Tomasz Drwal.[23] He put on an impressive performance, using takedowns and displaying unorthodox striking, such as spinning elbows and a spinning back kick. Jones took a unanimous decision victory.[28][29]

In his second fight, Jones fought veteran Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94 on January 31, 2009. Jones showed superior wrestling abilities and executed strong takedowns and powerful throws including a suplex. Again showing unorthodox striking as he had in his debut, Jones secured one of Bonnar's legs and landed a back-elbow that nearly knocked out his opponent during the first round. Although he appeared to tire in the third round, Jones held on to win another unanimous decision victory.[30][31]

Jones' third fight was against Jake O'Brien at UFC 100[32] on July 11, 2009. Jones controlled the majority of the fight by stuffing takedown attempts from his opponent. Jones stayed on the outside, exercising his reach advantage and finding his range toward the end of the first round with his right jab and high and low kicks. Halfway through the second round, Jones ducked and spun to deliver another one of his signature back-elbows that struck the top of O'Brien's head. Jones eventually secured a modified guillotine choke which rendered his opponent briefly unconscious just after he tapped.[33][34]

In September 2009, Jones was rewarded for his victories by signing a new four-fight contract with the UFC.[35]

On December 5, 2009, Jones faced off against fellow light heavyweight prospect Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale. Despite dominating the fight, Jones was disqualified[36] for the use of multiple 12-6 elbows. The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts prohibit downward elbow strikes, and Jones was initially only penalized a point from the round.[37] However, because Hamill could not continue due to a dislocated shoulder,[38] Jones was disqualified for these strikes. Consequently, the tape was reviewed and showed that Jones' elbows further damaged Hamill's already bloody and lacerated nose.[37] This marked the first time that Nevada has used its recently enacted instant replay rule, in which the referee's decision was supported by the commission, which utilized a slow-motion replay to review the elbows.[39] Jones fought Brandon Vera on March 21, 2010, at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones.[40] He won the fight by TKO (elbow) caused by an elbow to Vera's face followed up with punches in the first round.[41] The elbow delivered to stop the fight also broke Vera's face in three places.[42] Jones also won the "Knockout of the Night" award.[43]

Following the fight with Matyushenko, White said, "Vladimir Matyushenko is a guy who I have a lot of respect for and I didn't think it was going to happen that easy. Jones is the real deal and he just catapulted himself tonight into the top eight in the world. Tonight solidified it. To go in and do what he did to Vladimir Matyushenko, and make it look as easy as he did tonight, it cements it for me. This kid is one of the top eight in the world in that weight division. He's got to keep his head together, stay focused and keep doing all the right things in training. He's smart, good looking and bad-ass. He's going to make a lot of money -- this kid is going to do very well. Right now in the 205-pound division, all these guys are fighting each other. When the smoke clears and the dust settles, Jon Jones will fight one of the top eight guys in the world for his next fight."[46]

After defeating Matyushenko, Jones stated that he wanted a "top-three opponent" for his next fight.[47]

Jones mentioned in an interview with Inside MMA that he would be facing the winner of Antônio Rogério Nogueira vs. Ryan Bader.[48] Reports that Jones had previously been offered a fight with Nogueira, but had turned down the opportunity,[49] turned out to be false.[50] In the Inside MMA interview, Jones also stated that he had been informed by Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta that if he finished his next two fights, he would likely receive a title shot.[48]

White soon confirmed that Jones would face undefeated Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader, on February 5, 2011, at UFC 126.[51] Jones handed Bader his first professional loss by defeating him via tap-out due to a guillotine choke in the second round after dominating Bader in the first round. Jones was awarded the "Submission of the Night" bonus.[52]

Light Heavyweight Championship

At UFC 128, Jones defeated Rua by TKO at 2:37 of round 3 to become the youngest UFC champion ever. After an early flying knee that badly hurt the champion, Shogun was dominated throughout the three rounds. A body shot and knee to the head dropped the champion to his knees, causing the referee to swiftly step in and halt the bout.[54]

His first title defense was expected to be on August 6, 2011, at UFC 133 against Rashad Evans,[55] his former friend and teammate,[56] but Jones was sidelined with a hand injury.[57] It was initially announced that the hand injury would require surgery, but Jones opted for rest and rehabilitation without surgery after further consultations with doctors.[58] Jones's injury was originally thought to keep him out of action until late 2011,[59] but he instead made his first title defense against Quinton Jackson on September 24, 2011, at UFC 135. Jones defeated Jackson via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:14 in the 4th round.[60] In the process, he became the first UFC fighter to submit Jackson. Jones has described this as his favourite fight.[61]

Jones vs Evans was in the works for a second time and a bout was targeted for December 10, 2011, at UFC 140.[62] However, a lingering thumb injury cost another title opportunity for Evans, and Jones instead faced Lyoto Machida at the same event.[63] Despite getting rocked in the first round by Machida, Jones successfully defended the light heavyweight title at UFC 140, stopping Machida at 4:26 of the second round via technical submission (guillotine choke), which caused Machida to collapse unconscious along the cage.[64] This was the first submission loss in Machida's career.

During the UFC 145 post fight press conference Dana White confirmed that Jones's next opponent would be Dan Henderson.[66] The Jones-Henderson fight was expected to take place at UFC 151, but an injured Henderson pulled out of the bout,[67][68] Jones then refused a late replacement fight with Chael Sonnen after his coach Greg Jackson told him with three training days left it would be difficult to prepare.[69] UFC 151 was then subsequently cancelled. It was later reported that Henderson was injured three weeks prior to the announcement but kept the injury under wraps as he was still hoping to compete. However he was ultimately forced to withdraw following a final sparring session to evaluate his condition.[70]

A rematch with Lyoto Machida was then announced for September 22, 2012, at UFC 152.[71] Lyoto Machida, who was not contacted prior to the announcement, rejected the fight due to the lack of time to train before the bout.[72] Jones instead defended the championship against Vitor Belfort on September 22, 2012, at UFC 152.[73] Jones opened as a massive favorite (13-to-1) coming into the bout.[73]

"it was not the finish that's the story of this evening. It's the refusal to be finished."

Despite almost being submitted via armbar in round one, Jones successfully defended the belt against Belfort,[75][76] and equaled Chuck Liddell's number of title defenses.[77][78] Jones also won a $65,000 Submission of the Night bonus for his fourth-round finish of Belfort.[79]

Jones was chosen to coach opposite Chael Sonnen on Season 17 of the Ultimate Fighter. With a bout between the coaches taking place on April 27, 2013, at UFC 159.[80] Jones displayed a lack of interest in the bout and actively downplayed the contest, making it clear that he did not believe Sonnen was a fit contender. In an interview Sonnen did his best to drum up interest in the bout but Jones gave him the "silent treatment", and refused to make eye contact.[81] Jones made quick work of his challenger, finishing Sonnen via TKO in the first round. However, he dislocated a phalanx (big toe) on his left foot during the fight.[82][83][84][85] With the win, Jones tied Tito Ortiz for having most consecutive title defenses in UFC light heavyweight history.[86]

Consecutive title defenses record (Light Heavyweight championship)

Jones faced Alexander Gustafsson on September 21, 2013, at UFC 165.[87] Jones was badly cut above the eye during the first round,[88] but he continued and eventually won the back-and-forth fight via a controversial unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, and 49-46). After the match, Jones said Gustafsson gave him the toughest fight of his career and the champion and challenger were both sent to the hospital for the injuries.[89] Both men suffered lacerations and facial swelling, though Jones' appeared to be worse for the wear. Both men were released from the hospital with no broken bones or serious injuries.[90][91] The bout also earned both men the Fight of the Night bonus award.[92] The match received numerous positive characterizations: "an epic battle",[93][94] "instant-classic",[95] "Fight of the Year",[96] "Greatest light heavyweight title fight of all-time",[97] "one of the greatest fights in UFC history".[98]

Jones was expected to face Glover Teixeira on February 1, 2014, at UFC 169.[99] However, on October 7, UFC President Dana White stated the announcement for this fight on that card was premature and that Jones and Teixeira would face each other on a different card.[100] On November 13, 2013, it was announced that Jones would fight Glover Teixeira at UFC 170, scheduled for February 22, 2014,[101] however the next day it was announced that the match had been scratched from the card.[102] On December 4, 2013, it was announced that Jones and Teixeira would face each other at UFC 171 on March 15, 2014, in Dallas, Texas,[103] however, the fight was moved again. Jones and Teixeira finally fought on April 26, 2014, at UFC 172.[104] Jones won the bout via unanimous decision.[105]

On April 27, 2014, UFC President Dana White confirmed that a rematch with the champion Jon Jones would be next for Gustafsson, and stated the possibility of the match taking place in a stadium in Sweden on pay-per-view.[106][107] On May 24, 2014, it was indicated that the rematch would take place in Las Vegas on August 30, 2014, at UFC 177.[108] The statement, and the time and venue, wasn't official however, because Gustafsson was the only one who still had agreed to take the fight.[109][110] On June 2, the fight was still on hold, and UFC President Dana White explained the situation as: "Jones doesn't want to fight Gustafsson", Jones instead expressed his preference for fighting Daniel Cormier.[111][112][113]

On June 5, 2014, the UFC confirmed that the Jones/Gustafsson rematch would take place on September 27, 2014, at UFC 178.[114] However, Gustafsson was forced to pull out of the bout due to a torn meniscus. Jones was then expected to face replacement Daniel Cormier at UFC 178.[115] On August 12, 2014, it was announced that Jones had sustained a leg injury in training, forcing him out of UFC 178 in his scheduled fight against Cormier. The bout was rescheduled and eventually took place on January 3, 2015 at UFC 182.[116] Jones won the fight by unanimous decision, losing only one round to Cormier (49-46, 49-46, 49-46).[117] He also became the first person to take Cormier down, scoring three takedowns in total. The win also earned Jones his fourth Fight of the Night bonus award.[118] It was later revealed that Jones failed a drug test one month prior to the event, as he tested positive for cocaine. (see below in Controversies)[119]

Stripped of title

Jones was expected to defend his title against Anthony Johnson on May 23, 2015, at UFC 187.[120] However, on April 28, he was stripped of the belt and suspended from the UFC indefinitely in connection with a hit-and-run incident that he was involved in.[121] Cormier, who lost against Jones at UFC 182 in January 2015, replaced him and went on to defeat Anthony Johnson to become the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.[122]

Return from suspension and interim Light Heavyweight championship

On October 23, 2015, the UFC announced that Jones had been reinstated to the active roster, nearly six months after his suspension was announced.[123]

USADA violation and 2nd stripping of title

The rematch with Cormier had been rescheduled and was expected to take place on July 9, 2016, at UFC 200.[128] However, on July 6, 2016 Jones was removed from the bout after a potential out of competition anti-doping policy violation from Jones, made by USADA on June 16.[129]

On November 7, 2016, it was announced that Jones had been suspended one year by USADA. Jones will be eligible to return to competition on July 9, 2017. Two days later it was announced that Jones had been stripped of his interim title, making him the first fighter in UFC history to be stripped of a title twice. It is still yet to be seen if Jones will be further punished by the NSAC.[130]

On Dec 11th 2016 he will take on Dan Henderson in an exhibition grappling bout.

Personal life

Jones and his fiancée Jessie[133][134] have three daughters: Leah, who was born on July 11, 2008; Carmen Nicole Jones, born in December 2009, who was named after his late sister, Carmen; and a third daughter, Olivia Haven, born in 2013. In an interview with Joe Rogan on December 1, 2016, Jones stated that he has four daughters (aged 9, 8, 6 and 3), indicating a daughter born before Leah.[135]

Jones is a professed Christian,[136] and has "Philippians 4:13" tattooed on the right side of his chest.

On March 19, 2011, Jones was en route to Great Falls Historic Park in Paterson, New Jersey,[140] where he planned to meditate several hours ahead of his fight against Maurício "Shogun" Rua at UFC 128. He was accompanied by his coaches Mike Winkeljohn and Greg Jackson. As their driver prepared to drop them off, Jones observed an elderly couple screaming for help. The woman informed Winkeljohn that a man had smashed her car window and had run off with her GPS. Jones, along with his two coaches, chased after the robber, caught and tripped him, and held him down until the police arrived.[141][142]

On August 8, 2012, Jones became the first mixed martial artist to be sponsored by Nike on an international scale. Anderson Silva and Yoshihiro Akiyama have signed regional deals with Nike in the past, but Jones was the first to represent Nike globally.[143] He is also the first fighter in MMA history to have his own shoe line.[144] Jones was the first MMA fighter to represent Gatorade and MuscleTech in the Octagon.[145]

On December 16, 2014, it was announced that Jones signed a sponsorship deal with Reebok.[146] However, on April 29, 2015, Reebok terminated their sponsorship with Jones effective immediately following Jones's involvement in a hit-and-run incident.[147] A day later, Jones lost his sponsorship with MuscleTech for the same reasons.[148]

Controversies

On December 5, 2009, in his bout with Matt Hamill, Jon Jones was disqualified for using illegal elbows. However, despite instant replay being used to make the decision, Dana White still claimed the loss should not have counted and should have been a no contest.[149]

UFC 151, scheduled to occur on September 1, 2012, was cancelled due to Jon Jones declining to fight Chael Sonnen, a last-minute replacement for Dan Henderson. In the 19-year history of the UFC, it was the first card to ever be cancelled. Dana White went on record saying, "this is one of the most selfish, disgusting decisions that doesn't just affect you. This is affecting 16 other lives, their families, kids are going back to school. The list goes on and on of all the things, the money that was spent for fighters to train and the list goes on and on. Like I said, I don't think this is going to make Jon Jones popular with the fans, sponsors, cable distributors, television network executives or other fighters."[152]

Jones has been criticized for repeatedly poking his opponents in the eyes. In response to the criticism, Jones released a video over Instagram in which he mocked fans by crying like a baby, which has since been deleted. Dana White went on record stating, "we've got to stop that stuff. The openings of the hands and putting the hands on the face are something bad, but it happens with guys who have reach. They do that a lot."[153] White later clarified his point, saying, "It's not just taller fighters. Jones has that range and he can do it, but lots of guys do it because that’s how you block punches. So you keep your hands open and you slap punches down. Then guys are rushing in and you’re doing whatever, and guys get poked in the eyes." He also noted that in the fight against Glover Teixeira, after Jones was warned about the behavior, he was more careful to avoid any eye pokes throughout the rest of the fight. He also stated Jones would likely not receive any credit for that from detractors.[154] Jones later responded to the controversy in an interview, saying, "I realize that I do it. I realize the criticism that I got from it. It’s not on purpose. If you watch my fights, a lot of the times when guys get poked in the eyes, it’s me extending my arm in a reactionary way. I do put a hand on people’s foreheads to maintain distance. That’s what you saw in the Teixeira fight, but to say I am purposely poking people in the eye, it’s just inaccurate. You can call it what you want."[155]

On April 14, 2014, Jones was accused of writing homophobic slurs to a Swedish man over Instagram. In response, Jones said his phone was stolen and his account was hacked.[156]

On January 6, 2015, it was announced that Jones failed a drug test prior to UFC 182. He tested positive for benzoylecgonine, the primary metabolite of cocaine.[119] Because benzoylecgonine is not banned out-of-competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the NSAC could not halt Jones from fighting at UFC 182. He was randomly tested on December 3, 2014 and results came back on December 23, 2014. A week after his first test, Jones was tested again. He passed the second test, which meant that the cocaine metabolite was out of his system before the fight. When the news was made public, Jones went into rehab for one night.[119][157][158] He was fined $25,000 on January 17 for violating the UFC's Athlete Code of Conduct policy.[159] On January 19, 2015, Jones was interviewed for the first time since the failed drug test and said: "...I'm not a cocaine addict by any means or not even a frequent user. I just made a really dumb decision and got caught with my pants down in this whole situation."[160]

Feud with Daniel Cormier

During a promotional event for UFC 178, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier got into a brawl that was sparked by Jones pressing his forehead against Cormier's during a staredown which prompted Cormier to shove Jones by the throat.[161] Both fighters had to be restrained by event organizers. UFC chief legal officer Kirk Hendrick said "there are going to be ramifications". In addition, the Nevada State Athletic Commission requested a copy of the altercation.[162] On September 23, 2014, Jones was given a $50,000 fine and 40 hours of community service in Las Vegas by the Nevada Athletic Commission for his actions during the media day.[163] During the disciplinary hearing due to an altercation with Cormier, Jones claimed he had lost his six-figure endorsement deal with Nike.[164] He later admitted to having fabricated the statement.[165]

Boxing the Klitschkos

During his preparation for his UFC title defense fight against Alexander Gustafsson, Jones expressed interest in boxing one of the longtime heavyweight boxing champions, Vitali Klitschko or Wladimir Klitschko.[166] Jones stated that "I feel so good about my boxing I’ve been thinking about one day challenging a Klitschko".[167] His coach also reaffirmed the potential for a fight with either one of the Klitschkos during Jones' career, albeit after extensive preparation. O'Connor stated "Yes, I think that there's no limitations on Jon's athletic ability and I think if he wanted – I'm not saying we're going to fight the Klitchkos next week – we'd have to work on it for a couple of years, but I think that he could" [168]

The admission was met with skepticism from the community,[169] who believed the dominance of the Klitschkos in the heavyweight division, having been undefeated for a decade, as well as Jones' inexperience in boxing would make it an impossible task. UFC commentator Joe Rogan stated that "I think anybody who thinks they can box with one of the very best boxers the heavyweight division has ever seen, without being just a professional boxer for a long period of time, is kind of kidding themselves...I don't think it's a good idea. Wladimir Klitschko hasn't lost in a decade and he's been fighting all of the best heavyweight boxers in the world."[170][171]

Jones eventually retracted his statements, stating that "I actually never wanted to box the Klitschkos...What they do is amazing. Very high-level stuff. I'm not trying to get killed."[169]

Hit-and-run incident

On April 27, 2015, it was confirmed by police in Albuquerque, New Mexico that Jones was being sought in connection with a hit-and-run early the previous morning. Jones was alleged to have run a red light and crashed his rental car in a collision involving two other vehicles. Jones allegedly fled the scene of the crash on foot, leaving an injured pregnant woman behind in another vehicle. The accident was witnessed by an off-duty police officer who identified the suspect as an African American man wearing a white shirt and dark pants, which he believed was Jones.[172][173] According to witnesses, the man described as Jones then returned to the scene to grab cash from the vehicle before fleeing again. Paperwork found in the car was under the name of "Jonathan Jones". Inside the silver Buick SUV, law enforcement found a pipe of marijuana with marijuana inside of it.[174] Though initially wanted for questioning that could have resulted in a simple misdemeanor, Jones' charges were elevated to a felony on April 27 for injuring a person and purposely leaving the scene of an accident.[175]

An arrest warrant was issued against Jones and surrender arrangements were made between law enforcement and Jones' lawyers.[176] That evening, Jones turned himself in to the Albuquerque Police Department.[177] Later that evening, Jones posted bail of $2,500 and left the Bernalillo County Metro Detention Center.[178] He made a court appearance on April 28 and did not enter a plea. The judge lifted any travel restrictions, and Jones was allowed to remain free, as long as he remained in contact with his lawyer and followed certain conditions.[179] With a pending UFC fight still in his contract, UFC President Dana White and Zuffa, LLC owner Lorenzo Fertitta travelled to New Mexico from Las Vegas to meet with Jones in person. Jones apologized to his fans on Twitter by saying, "Got a lot of soul searching to do. Sorry to everyone I've let down."[180] That same day, the UFC stripped Jones of the title, removed him from the official rankings, and suspended him indefinitely.[181] In an official statement released that day, the UFC stated that Jones was stripped from his belt for violating the Athlete Code of Conduct Policy. The UFC believed that this was the right move because it gave Jones enough time to focus on his legal problems, but said that they would remain supportive of Jones during the process.[182]

On September 29, 2015, Jones plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and was subsequently sentenced to up to 18 months of supervised probation. He was authorized to travel for work-related purposes. If Jones can meet all of his conditions, which include 72 separate appearances for charity or youth outreach, he will avoid a felony charge on his record.[183]

In an interview in December 2016, Jones stated that he did in fact run from the scene of the traffic accident and did not check on the occupant of the other vehicle.[184]

Doping allegations

On July 8, 2016, a urine sample from Jones tested positive for a banned substance prior to his scheduled championship bout with Daniel Cormier at UFC 200. The violation was from an out-of-competition sample collection on June 16, with subsequent testing confirming the doping. Jones and his manager, Malki Kawa, denied any wrongdoing. The investigation is currently underway, with the response from the athletic commission and UFC still pending. As a result, Jones was forced to withdraw from the event to be replaced by former middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Jones faces a 2-year suspension if the doping violation is upheld.[185]

On July 18, 2016, the Nevada State Athletic Commission revealed Jones tested positive for clomiphene, an anti-estrogenic substance, and letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor. These substances were found in the June 16 out-of-competition sample provided by Jones. Both drugs are on the World Anti-Doping Agency banned substances list and are described as "hormone and metabolic modulators." Additionally, both drugs are banned substances that are not allowed to be used in or out of competition.[186][187]